Please join East End Art for our First Friday Art Reception for Sri Rao on Friday, October 7th, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Light refreshments and wine served for this casual event. Come meet Sri and see her exhibit of beautiful Iowa landscapes as well as her new collection of jewelry.
Reception is held in the Library (next to the gallery) at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon.
“The idea of beauty is the fundamental idea of everything. In the world we see only distortions of the fundamental idea, but art, by imagination, may lift itself to the height of this idea. Art is therefore akin to creation – Leo Tolstoy
Sri describes her process below:
Brilliant colors enhance the feeling of happiness, joy and appreciation of beauty in life. I have constantly experimented with various mediums to learn and enjoy the different combinations of what can be created. I am inspired by Colors and Composition. Beauty is the inspiration for my work and floral compositions interest me at the moment.
The process of painting is something I enjoy and the reason why I paint. I continuously search for inspirations that make it hard not to jump into my studio to paint. The process involves preparing the surface and sketching an outline to guide my painting. I pour colors, wipe, spray and layer them to create depth. During this process, I get transformed into a whole new world – my world of quietness and focus. The process is at the same time intense as I am making many decisions and feeling deep emotions.
Once the process is complete, my heart fills with joy and there is a sense of great satisfaction. I am working on exploring more of this creative process and hope to create and share the joy with you.”
– Sri Rao
East End Art Gallery hosts a featured gallery artist and a reception every first Friday of each month in the First Street Community Center’s Library meeting space.
The artist will be available to visit with. The exhibit will stay up for the rest of the month, until the next reception.
We invite the public to join us, no reservation, or fees and dress casual… just come!
Please join us for a night of live music by the Highway 151 Band performing October 1st at 7:30pm in the Uptown Theatre in the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
NOTE: Also appearing is Tony Nickels. The band met him at their last concert and loved him, so they invited him to join them at this concert.
About the Band
Hwy 151 Band are from the Eastern Iowa area.
They are a group of musicians who have played in numerous bands throughout the area including Stormwatch, Top Side, Westwinds, The Naked Gypsies and the Stompers.
Their three part harmonies are a highlight of their musical sound. Their instrumentations include acoustic and bass guitar, mandolin, keyboard and percussion.
They cover several decades of music; songs like “Groovin” by The Young Rascals, Van Morrison’s “Moon Dance”, “Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash, and the classic “At Last” by the great Etta James. They also play our originals like “Got to Be Kind” and “I’ve Got the Change” both written by Dan Hanlon.
The First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon, Iowa is pleased to announce that Frances Luke Accord will perform again at the Uptown Theater on Saturday, September 24th. Doors open for seating at 7pm with the show starting at 7:30pm.
This Chicago-based duo will be joined by Ann Arbor folk/singer-songwriter Chris Dupont.
These dynamic performers will be presenting a family friendly “all ages” show.
Tickets: $10 advance/$13 at the door. You can purchase tickets in advance online here.
You can also purchase tickets by contacting Mike Smith at Bauman’s or Trude Elliott at the First Street Community Center.
Here are two YouTube videos with these talented performers:
About The Artists: Frances Luke Accord is an independent Chicago-based duo hailing originally from South Bend, Indiana. Both dedicated multi-instrumentalists and attentive songwriters, Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers distinguish their music with genre fluidity, organic acoustics and buttery harmonies. Although prevailingly a modern folk band, FLA sips copious inspiration from Americana, jazz, soul and rock.
Since forming during their senior year at the University of Notre Dame, Frances Luke Accord’s multifaceted, genre-bending approach to music has marked a boundless evolution. In December of 2012 the duo released their first record, Kandote, a not-for-profit, intercultural collaboration with the Barefoot Truth Children’s Choir of Kkindu, Uganda; an endeavor that continues to support the primary education and musical aspirations of the choir. Bringing their newfound appreciation for world/folk music to the bustling urban epicenter of Chicago in the summer of 2013, the duo has quickly garnered increasing local and regional attention for their captivating live performances and stunning self-produced releases, including the Queen for Me EP (April 2014), Veronica (October 2014), and Live @ Strobe (April 2015).
Frances Luke Accord’s music can be described as dreamlike and philosophical, haunting and whimsical. Their melodies evoke a noir film, a Spanish folktale, an enigmatic egoeye. However you pin it, something in the music is turning heads. Whether evidenced by their artist endorsement with Godin Guitars or recent $16,294 Kickstarter campaign to fund their debut full length album, Fluke (due out May 20th, 2016), Gunty and Powers’ compositions take the listener by the ear, pull the rug from beneath her feet, and leave her deliciously airborne. Listen.
What The Critics Are Saying:
‘While Simon & Garfunkel may be no longer touring, Powers and Gunty are more than talented enough to take their place.’
– Quinn Delaney, PlaylistHQ
Frances Luke Accord gave a stunning show. They are consummate musicians, with an endearingly charismatic stage presence. Their songwriting ranges from ethereal soundscapes to engaging pop folk, all performed with unerring, sensitive and expressive vocals. One never looks at the clock during their performance. In fact, time seemed to speed by with our audience crying out for not one but two encores! Like fine wine, this duo is only going to improve with age. Dont miss the chance to catch them on their rise up.
– Sandra Thompson & Sam Tuthill, Acorn Theater
About Chris Dupont:
A letter arrives in a handmade envelope…
I’ve been to hell and back again, it says. Thank you for inspiring me, and helping me achieve a sense of peace that years ago I thought would never happen.
Letters like these tend to find Ann Arbor-based singer/songwriter Chris DuPont. His ruminations on inner peace and personal growth infuse his newest album, Outlier. Faced with the new challenge of becoming a father, DuPont bares his own difficulties with family and his own sense of belonging.
Full of his trademark vulnerability and candor, Outlier is a confession and an absolution in one.
With influences ranging from classic American songwriters like James Taylor and Tom Waits, to artists like Tycho and Philip Glass, DuPont’s sophomore effort has its roots in folk music, and its branches spreading wide across conventional genre divides. In Outlier, the classic eloquence of the 70s collides with a present-day catharsis; classic Americana themes become married to contemporary notions of self-care, and speaking your own truth. Throughout the whole work, DuPont’s focused baritone remains a constant, bringing a steadiness and reassuring cohesion in the midst of the albums at-times heavy themes.
Outlier wades deep into DuPont’s head. It is simultaneously loud, soft, angry, forgiving, danceable and upbeat, cinematic, sweeping, and immersive. His inimitable guitar style incorporates techniques from a wide array of disciplines, including body percussion, harmonics, and looping.
Chris is endorsed by Godin guitars.
Chris was a finalist at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in 2013, and has shared stages with a host of Midwest acts, as well as national acts Edwin McCain, Brendan James, Needtobreathe, and Lucius.
The First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon Iowa is proud to announce its 2nd Annual “Evening Gala Celebrating the Arts in Mount Vernon, Iowa”.
Put this date on your calendar: Saturday, September 17, 2016. The gala will start at with a Social Hour from 7:00 – 8:00 pm with wine, non-alcoholic beverages and hors d’Oeuvres, and Program at 8.
This event will be held in the Uptown Theatre and will honor Jay Gunn, Don & Judy Stine, Laura Werkman, Dick (Pete) Peters and Hugh Lifson.
Tickets for this wonderful event are $20 and can be reserved at 319-535-2030.
